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MU5735 crash
ChinaDiplomacy

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735: world leaders express sympathy for crash victims

  • Condolences come from around the globe – including both Russia and the US, whose air safety body is helping investigate why the Boeing 737-800 came down
  • No survivors have been found yet after the plane plunged to the ground over the southern region of Guangxi

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Wreckage from the plane after it crashed into a hillside in southern China. Photo: CNS / AFP
Jack Lau
The crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 on Monday with 132 people on board has prompted condolences from around the world.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his sympathy via a Weibo post from the embassy in Beijing that read: “Please accept my most heartfelt condolences. Russia feels the pain of those who have lost their families in this tragedy.”
Vladimir Putin said Russia “felt the pain” of those whose family members had died. Photo: AP,
Vladimir Putin said Russia “felt the pain” of those whose family members had died. Photo: AP,
Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping established what they call a “no-limits” friendship at a summit ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in February and have maintained close ties despite extensive sanctions being imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

China Eastern Airlines, one of the country’s leading carriers, has yet to make any announcement about casualties. None of the 123 passengers and nine crew have been found so far.

The airline said the plane lost contact above Wuzhou, a city in the southern region of Guangxi around 210km (130 miles) from the intended destination, Guangzhou.

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Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed the Boeing 737-800 cruising at around 8,900 metres (29,200ft) before it suddenly lost height, reaching a speed of around 9,450 metres per minute in the moments before crashing.

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